Regulator for oil burners



Dec. 4, 1934. G. w WHITEHURST REGULATOR FOR OIL BURNERS Filed Dec. 5,1955 GM Mllilkll r51 Patented Dec. 4, 1934 1,983,112 REGULATOR ron ommmmms George W. Whitehurat, Portsmouth, Va. Application December 5,1933, Serial No. 701,078 I i '1 Claims.

This invention relates to oil burners such as is shown in my copendingapplication for patent Serial No. 701,077 flled of even date herewith,now Patent No. 1,983,111, and particularly to a heat regulator for sucha heater.

The general object of my invention is to provide means for regulatingthe heat supplied from an oil heater .without the necessity of turningup or turning down the wicks of the heater or manually. opening orclosing valves.

A further object is to provide a supply tank for the heater having afloat controlled inlet valve andha'ving a thermostatically controlledoutlet valve with means for regulating the maximum and minimum outletfrom said valve to any desired degree.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

The flgure of the drawing shows an elevation a heater constructed inaccordance with my invention, the reservoir or tank with its alliedparts being insection.

Referring to this drawing, A designates a central or medially disposedchamber within which is disposed a series of concentric combustionchambers designated B, the lower ends of these combustion chambershaving burners C provided with wicks D. Disposed exteriorly of thecentral casing A are flue passages shown in elevation in 80 the figureand designated E whereby products of combustion are caused to circulateand pass out through a flue not shown, the spaces F between these fluepassages E and the casing A extending from front to rear of the burnerand permitting the passage of air into the room through these spaces sothatthe air may be heated. This structure is fully disclosed in mypending application above referred to and, therefore, needs no furtherdescription.

Oil is supplied to the burner of the heater from an oil tank orreservoir designated 10. The bottom of this tank rests upon a fitting 11having a branch 12 connected shown in dotted lines and designated 13.Having screw-threaded engagement with the bottom wall 14 of thereservoir 10- is a valve seat 15 which depends into the chamberll and isformed with inlet openings or passages 16.

For the purpose of holding the chamber 11 in 50, place against thebottom 14, a screw 17 is provided which extends up through the bottom ofthe chamber 11 and extends into the depending portion of the seat 15. Byremoving this screw,

the chamber 11 may be removed from the reser- 56 yell and then the seatmay be removed.

to the fuel supply pipe (c1. es -s) The top of the reservoir is formedby a plate 18 which has a central guide aperture for a valve stem 19.This valve stem coacts with the seat 15 and is guided at its lower endby a guide 20. For the purpose of controlling this valve, I provide a.float 21 engaging against levers 22 whose inner ends engage within aflanged collar 23 carried by the valve stem 19.

It will be seen that with this construction when the float rises, thelevers 22 will force the valve 19 downward, close the inlet aperturethrough the seat 15 and as the liquid within the reservoir 10 falls, thefloat will descend, permitting the pressure of the oil entering throughpipe 13 to lift the valve until the proper height has again beenreached.

It will be understood, however, that an operative connection might beformed between the ends "of the lever 22 and the float 21 to cause theupward movement of the valve 19 upon the downward movement of the float.

Disposed to one side of the reservoir 10 and cast as part of thisreservoir, if desired, is a chamber 24, which, at its lower end, isformed with a valve seat 25 opening into a duct 26 extending laterallygo from the bottom of the reservoir 10, this duct 26 being closed at itsouter end by a plug 27. A screw 28 extends upward through the bottom ofthe duct 26, this screw having a shank 29 which may be manually turnedto adjust the screw in 5 either direction, this shank passing through agland 30. The upper end of the chamber 24 is constituted by a thimble orgland 31 having screw-threaded engagement with the walls of the chamber24. Extending downward through this gland and through the chamber 24 isa valve stem 32 having a valve 33vat its lower end coacting with thevalve seat 25, this valve having at its lower enda pin 34 extendingthrough the valve seat 25 and confronting the screw 28. The valve 5 stem32 just below the cap 31 is formed with a shoulder 35. g v

Supported'in brackets upon the plate 18 is a thermostat designatedgenerally 36 which is shown as consisting of a coil or any othersuitable material which will ex- .pand under heat and contract undercold and which is exposed to the air of the room. The outer end of thiscoil is transversely extended at 3-7 and supports the against a bead 38carried by the valve stem. The other end of this coil 38 extends downinto a socket formed in an angular arm 39 which is mounted upon a pin orshaft 40 journaled in the bracket 41. Thus the or spiral of metal 1 0valve stem 32 bearin arm 39 may rock. The .110

ward to any degree required. As the arm 39 is forced downward by the nut44, it will cause the spring to turn in a clock-wise direction and forcethe arm 37 downward whereas when the nut 44 is loosened, the spring 43will force the arm upward, thus causing the arm 37 to lift, lifting upon the valve 42. When the temperature increases beyond a desired point,which point is regulated by adjustment of the nut 44, the arm 37 of thethermostat will move downward, permitting the valve stem 32 to movedownward toward a closing position, thus reducing the flow of oil to thewicks.

In" order to prevent an entire closing off of the flow of oil to thewicks, the screw 28 is provided, which by adjustment limits the degreeto which the valve 33 may move toward the seat so that there will alwaysbe at any time a small flow of oil to the wicks unless the screw 28 isfully retracted.

In order to prevent an excess opening of valve 33, a shoulder 35 isprovided which stops the valve 33 ,on its upward movement at any desiredsetting of maximum oil flow, controlled by the setting of the gland 31.

A suction pipe leads from the top plate 18 to one of the flues E.Irregular draft caused by high winds or from other causes acts throughpipe 45 to cause a lift or upward 'pull on float 21 and also a lift onoil in reservoir 24 through vent 46 equal to the lift on the oil in theburner ring C. This causes an even oil flow by balancing pressure orsuction. Pipe 45 also carries 011 the fumes within the tank 10.

The provision of the suction pipe 45 is of great importance in securingan even draft. All oil burners are critical to oil supply because of thesmall proportion of oil to the great volume of air. A float valve andburner is adjusted in the heater with the service door open. The doorbeing open, draft is relieved and oil will stay at a level. Shut thedoor, however, and immediately the draft through the burner acts on thesurface of the oil, raising its level and in a storm or high wind, theoil will keep surging and lifting until it reaches a level equal to thedraft pull. By providing this suction pipe to the float chamber andhaving a connection 46 to the valve chamber 24, the excess draft,abovewhat the unit is regulated for, is balanced. When excess draftoccurs above the normal setting, oil is lowered in the valve chamber. Ifthis chamber is open to the atmosphere and the float valve works to keepthis level constant, but the suction pipe 45 in my device also acts tolift the float and checks the oil flow so that upon a high draft, theoilflow is checked and not increased and this makes the use of automaticdampers in the stove pipe unnecessary. .The flare-up in oil burners isnot from too much air, but from too much oil and I have found fromactual experience that action occurs as above stated and that byconnecting the oil chamber or reservoir 10 and the valve chamber 24 upby the pipe 45 with the flue E that carries off combustion from theburners, the action of a high draft of air is balanced. The draft nolonger acts merely upon the bumers causing more oil to be sucked in butalso acts to prevent an overflow of oil and prevent, therefore, anyflaring up of the oil burners due to too much oil. 1

The operation of this device will be obvious from what has gone before.There is always, as before stated, a small flow of oil to the wicks D soas to permit these wicks to burn with a low flame constituting a pilotlight. As the temperature of the room decreases below the normal degree,the thermostat 36 will act to lift the valve 33 further away from itsseat, permitting more oil to flow to the burners, thus securing a higherheat in the burners. If the heat of the room rises above a predeterminedtemperature, the expansion of the thermostat will cause the valve 32 tolower, thus reducing the flow of oil to the burner. The temperature atwhich the thermostat will act to increase or reduce the flow of oil tothe burner may be accurately regulated by means of the screw 44 so thatany desired heat may be maintained.

While I have illustrated certain details of construction andarrangements of parts, it will be understood that these may be varied inmany ways without departing from the spirit of the invention as definedin the appended claims.

1'. Means for regulating the flow of oil to an oil burner, comprising anoil containing chamber having an inlet, a float controlled valvecontrolling flow through said inlet, the chamber having an outlet, avertically movable valve having a stem and controlling flow through saidoutlet, adjustable means for preventing the full seating or opening ofsaid valve, and thermostatically operated means for shifting said valvetoward or from its seat including a thermostatic coil having an armengaged with the valve, the inner end of the coil being mounted foroscillation and havingv anarm, a screw extending upward loosely throughsaid arm, a spring urging the last named arm upward, and a nut engagingthe screw and adjustable to force the last named arm downward againstthe action of said spring.

2. Means for controlling the flo'w of oil to a burner comprising an oilcontaining chamber having an inlet, a float operated valve controllingthe inlet of oil to said chamber, the chamber having an outlet. a valvecasing extending upward parallel to one end of the chamber andcommunieating with said outlet and having a valve seat and communicatingwith the upper end of the chamber, a valve stem disposed in said valvechamber and having a valve coacting with the seat, manually adjustablemeans for controlling the degree to which said valve can approach itsseat, a resilient thermostatic coil mounted upon the chamber, the outerextremity of the coil being i v namedarm and urging it upward, and a nutmounted on the screw and adjustable to force the the spring.

I 3. In an oil burner, an oil containing chamber operatively connectedto the burner and having an inlet and an outlet, a float operated valvecontrolling the inlet of oil to said chamber, a valve casing extendingupward parallel to one end last named arm downward against the action ofof said chamber and communicating with said outlet and having a valveseat, said valve casing communicating with the upper end of the floatchamber above the level of oil therein, a valve stem disposed in saidvalve chamber and having a valve coacting with the seat, means forshitting said valve nearer to or further from the seat, a flue for theburner and a pipe connection from the upper end of the chamber to saidflue whereby to secure equal suction on the flame in the burner and oilin said chamber and in the inlet valve casing on both sides of the inletvalve.

4. In an oil heater having a burner enclosing casing and having a fluecarrying oil .products,

of combustion from the burner, an oil reservoir connected to the burnerand having an inlet and an outlet, the outlet leading to the burner, afloat controlled valve controlling the inlet of oil to the reservoir anda communicative connection between the upper portion of the reservoirand the flue.

5. In an oil heater having a burner enclosing casing and having a fluetherefrom carrying away products of combustion, an oil reservoirconnected to the burner and having an inlet and an outlet, the outletleading to the burner, a float controlled valve controlling the inlet ofoil to the reservoir, a second valve controlling the flow from thereservoir to the burner, a valve casing therefor, the upper portion ofthe valve casing communicating with the upper portion of the reservoir,and a communicative connection between the upper portion of thereservoir and said flue.

6. Means :for regulating the flow of oil to an oil burner comprising anoil containing chamber having an inlet, a float-controlled valvetherefor, a longitudinally movable-valve having a stem and controllingflow through said outlet, and thermostatically operated means forshifting said valve toward or from its seat including a thermostaticcoil having an arm engaged with, the valve, the inner end of the coilbeing mounted for osci1la-, tion and having an arm, and screw meansbearing againstsaid arm and adjustable to oscillate the thermostat inone direction'or the other.

7. Means for regulating the flow 01'- oil to an oil burner comprising anoil chamber having an inlet, a float controlled valve controlling flowthrough said inlet, the chamber having an outlet, a longitudinallymovable valve having a stem and controlling flow through said outlet,adjustable means to limit the movement of the valve toward its seat, thevalve stem having a pair of stops spaced from each other,thermostatically operated means for shifting said valve toward or fromits seat including a thermostat having an arm, the arm loosely engagingthe valve stem between the stops, and means for adjusting thethermostat, the thermostat being mounted upon the exterior of the oilcontaining chamber.

GEORGE W. WHITEHURST.

